Updates on Planning for 100% Affordable Housing Development at 388 Hudson Street

Last night, Community Board 2 passed another resolution providing further feedback and input to city agencies about planning for a 100% affordable housing development at 388 Hudson Street. In response to prior requests by the Community Board to maximize the amount of affordable housing that could be built on the site, the city has been presenting increasingly larger potential versions of the development, increasing from the originally proposed 14 stores to possibilities of up to 35 stories.

We are pleased to report that last night’s resolution included language urging that the ultimate design of the building “complement and respect the adjacent Greenwich Village Historic District,” “reflect the scale of the West Village neighborhood with massing and materials that are suitable for its proximity to St. Luke’s Place,” and not be a “curtain wall glass tower.” Further, it says that “[t]o minimize mass and scale, the building should utilize setbacks and maybe vary the building’s heights,” and that the city agencies should develop and share “a shadow study…to evaluate the impact of the building’s mass on shadows over [J.J. Walker] park to the north.” The resolution also continues to call for efforts to optimize the amount of affordable housing on the site as well as include a large public recreation facility of at least three full floors. Read the full resolution HERE.

We commend CB2 for including language reflecting issues we have been consistently raising: the need to ensure the design, scale, and massing of the planned building (still in its early stages of planning) respect and reflect the surrounding context, including the Greenwich Village Historic District to the north, and that shadows on JJ Walker Park directly across the street must be considered. As the process continues, we have and will continue to urge Community Board 2 to go further, beyond general statements about “respect for character” of the surrounding neighborhood, which the city agencies controlling this process would likely interpret much differently than we would, or simply ignore as they seek to fulfill other imperatives unless given more measurable parameters. As the process moves forward, we are therefore encouraging Community Board 2, and the public, to offer more specific benchmarks for the appropriate size and scale of the building, particularly in relation to those buildings surrounding the currently open, publicly owned site.

The city has previously said they would hold a public meeting on the planning for this project on July 27; they have confirmed that date is NOT happening, and they will be holding a public meeting sometime in the fall. As soon as information on that meeting is known, we will share it. 

If you want to share your opinions about the planned development, email the following:

For more information on this project, see our webpage here.

July 21, 2023